Kratos and the Dragoons
by YoNel
Summary: In order to protect the world, it must be controlled." The Dragoons believe that they must set order with an iron fist; however the people are suffering. It's up to Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta to stop their unjust rule. God Of War/LOD crossover. R
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Legend of Dragoon or God of War. All I own is Penelope and General Hasencia.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter One**

**By:** YoNel

_In the __God of War__ timeline, this story takes place while Kratos is in servitude to the Gods of Olympus. In the __Legend of Dragoon__ timeline this takes place six years after the defeat of Meblu Frahma by Dart n' Friends._

Penelope felt his warm body against her own and clutched the back of his bare head as she threw her head back in ecstasy. As he moved his hand upward toward her breast, her moaning grew louder. She knew that the Ghost of Sparta had pleased many women before but she never imagined anything so-- satisfying. Despite this, she sensed that there was no feeling—no emotional connection. Not that there was supposed to be, after all, she was a prostitute. But even the most detached of her clients had an ounce of feeling. Kratos, however, was here just for the sex—which made her job a hell of a lot easier.

The next morning a ray of sunlight illuminated from a small crack on the side of the ship and hit Penelope's face, disturbing her slumber. She awoke and turned to see Kratos sitting by himself at the bottom of the bed, near the darkest part of the room. "My lord."

Kratos made no movements to acknowledge her presence and continued to sit completely still—overwhelmed by his thoughts.

"My lord?" she repeated.

Kratos finally got up and made his way towards the door. He turned back to Penelope. The cracks of sunlight peering through did little to illuminate his white-skinned, tattooed body.

"Please, my lord, come back to bed." Penelope dared to ask despite, Kratos' eerie appearance.

"We're done here," Kratos said in a deep and almost raspy voice, "Get your things and get out." Kratos climbed the steps at the end of the doorway and opened the hatch leading to the deck of his ship. The might of Helios shone upon him and the statue of Athena near the front of his ship. A cool breeze managed to make him stop momentarily as he approached the beautifully constructed sculpture. "ATHENA!"

A surge of energy flowed through the statue and knocked Kratos backwards. The most powerful goddess, aside from Hera, spoke through the statue. "Watch your tone Ghost of Sparta! Remember, I am a Goddess before your ally!"

"An ally would rid me of the nightmares that continue to haunt my mind!"

"All the pain, the suffering, the anguish--you brought upon yourself. You are the agent of your own pain!"

Kratos grew angry and wished to withdraw his Blades of Chaos but quickly remembered she could strike him dead if it pleased her. "Then, if you will not help me, I'm done here." He said as he headed back to the hatch.

"I do have a task for you, Spartan. A task that will draw you ever closer to your freedom."

Kratos raised a brow and looked upon the statue with suspicion. "What would you have me do?"

"Days ago, an unknown telepathic distress call echoed throughout all of Olympus and even the Underworld. Most of the gods ignored its urgent plea, but I sought to investigate the origin of this call. My journeys took me to the vile Underworld where an unknown vortex had developed in the River of Lost Souls. Hades knew not the origin and we both agreed that you—the Champion of Gods—should investigate."

An uncharacteristic smile developed across Kratos'. "You wish to risk me rather than yourselves."

"…will you accept this challenge or not?" She asked, obviously ignoring the true comment that was just made.

Kratos thought for a moment, "I will. But this better get me closer to what I desire, goddess!" Kratos turned away, opened the hatch and descended back to his room.

"Do not fret, mortal, you will get what is coming to you." The energy surrounding the statue quickly dissipated and the statue was just a statue once more.

* * *

The throne was magnificent. It was enormous and covered in a silvery substance with gems, in various colors, embedded within it. But the blond spiky-haired man sitting on it was obviously an important figure. The man was deep in thought thinking about who knows what. However his concentration was interrupted when a young silver-haired girl named Meru literally flew into his throne room. She was in her Blue Sea Dragoon armor and carrying a magically enchanted hammer that seemed too heavy for her.

"DART. DART!" Meru yelled.

"What is it, Meru?" Dart demanded.

"An army from Sandora is making its way here."

After they defeated the evil Melbu Frahma, Dart along with five remaining Dragoons decided to make a headquarters several miles above the world—just above the stratosphere. Using their combined powers they created a new moon when the old one was destroyed after Frahma failed to make himself a god. They built massive castles upon it and made themselves gods who claimed to be protectors of the world. They called this place New Luna.

"I fail to see the problem here, Meru."

"They aren't listening to our warning to back away and they are threatening to use a powerful arcane item called the Moon Crest."

"I thought the Divine Moon Objects were destroyed after Melbu was killed?"

"Me too. But apparently Sandoran magicians created a new object."

Dart understood the urgency of the situation and knew he had to set an example with the Sandoran Army. "Where are Albert and the others?"

"They are already there. They're waiting for you."

Dart caressed his Divine Dragoon spirit around his neck. It was the most powerful of all the Dragoon spirits—but like the other spirits he needed to transform to unlock its power. "I'll be out there soon enough."

"All right, I'll tell the others you're coming." With that Meru flapped her golden wings and exited the room.

Dart held his Spirit into the air and a bright light enveloped him—transforming him into the Divine Dragoon. His powerful sword—the Soul Eater—also transformed into a majestic 'dragoonized' version of itself.

When the transformation was done, Dart flew outside so fast that it caused a sonic boom that rattled even the magically fortified New Luna. His body was covered in, what appeared to be an extremely heavy silver armor with an enormous eye on his chest. But Dart flew with grace and agility that it was obviously not at all heavy for him. On his forehead, just above his eyes was a red headband with five small green stones and one large stone right above his left eye. In his left hand was the transformed Soul Eater while his entire right arm was covered in scaly cannon which he was secretly hoping he'd get use today. His six wings were unlike his fellow two-winged dragoons—further proof that he is absolute.

When Dart finally reached the group he saw a large amount of soldiers probably numbered in the tens of thousands near his flying friends. The Violet Thunder Dragoon—a dark haired old man (who was also Dart's grandfather) named Haschel yelled to Albert, the blonde haired Jade Dragoon and Monarch of Basil.

"Hey Al, mind giving us some protection?"

Albert ignored the sarcasm "Very well." He held his spear to his chest and suddenly rose petals rained upon him. Very quickly, he stuck out his spear in front of him and great force of wind rushed past him. "Rose Storm!" he shouted. Commanding the petal-engrossed gale, Albert held his spear to the side and the winds surrounded every one of his allies and dissipated soon after. "All right, any damage they inflict on you should be greatly reduced."

"About time." Haschel said before noticing Dart approaching. "Look who finally decided to show up."

Though it would have helped, Albert's Rose Storm had no effect on Dart because he was out of range. But with his Dragoon armor, there was really no need. "Nice to see you too, Haschel. What's so urgent you guys couldn't handle this problem yourselves?"

"Oh, we're sorry to disturb you, your majesty," said the blonde-haired White-Silver Dragoon named Miranda. Aside from Dart, Miranda was probably the most powerful and useful Dragoon. Ironically, her specialty wasn't attacking but rather healing. Dart couldn't count the number of times her 'Moon Light' and 'Gates of Heaven' healing spells saved them all. That's not to say she didn't have any offense, after all she did have her bow and arrow and her 'Star Children' attack not to mention her White Silver Dragon. Like all of the Dragoons, Miranda can summon her dragon but unlike everyone else her dragon could heal as well as attack the enemy.

"Miranda—always so quaint and so reserved."

Miranda only made a face at him in response to his sarcastic comment.

"Army mobilizing against us. We try to protect ourselves. But human army won't leave," said Kongol. The last of a dead species called the Gigantos, Kongol possesses of the Golden Dragon Spirit. His enormous size and strength was only matched by his massive axe which Kongol acquired from his now-dead brother Indora. He along with the Wingly Meru, were the only two who were not human. Meru is also one of the few remaining of her kind—the Winglies. These flying silver-haired humanoids ruled over humanity for thousands of years until ancient Dragoons put an end to that. The thought of the Dragon Campaign made him remember Rose and Zeig. But that notion was cut short when he noticed a fireball racing toward them. With little effort the six dragoons moved away from its oncoming path.

"Don't you see? They won't stop!" Meru exclaimed.

"Fine. I'll handle this." Dart flew ahead–closer to the army. He hovered eight feet above them as he looked down to the leader of the army. Dart knew General Hasencia well. The young dark-haired general once helped Dart secure a massive uprising in Hellena Prison. "General, why are you here?"

"Because I want to be." Dart had nearly forgotten Hasencia's sarcastic and out-spoken personality. "What the hell gives you the right to rule over—not only us but the all the creatures on the planet?"

"Don't you understand? Only through control can there be protection."

"Dart, what happened to you? You were never power-hungry. You used to an ambitious and brave young man." Hasencia asked.

Dart held back the emotions—he knew it was coming. "Things change Hasencia—I changed."

"Is it because of Shana? Ever since she—

"Enough! Either leave now or suffer the consequences."

"I'm not going anywhere, Dart."

"Fine, have it your way." Dart hurdled to the ground. The shockwave sent the general and a few of his lieutenants backwards.

When the smoke cleared, they found Dart with his eyes closed and a red aura surrounding him. Hasencia knew what was coming. "Catapult-men—fire!" Twenty catapults went off at the same time and all hit their target. But much to their dismay, they found Dart was unharmed.

Dart opened his eyes and smiled, "Heh—my turn." He jolted into the sky he spread his arms out to the sides and two little pockets opened upward to reveal little cannons on his armor-clad shoulders.

Hasencia's eyes widened "Retreat!" The entire army turned around and everyone ran as fast as they could…but not fast enough.

The little cannons sucked in ambient energy before Dart yelled "Divine Dragon Ball!" Thousands of deadly energy orbs descended upon the army without mercy. The little balls of energy killed most if not all who came into contact with them.

Hasencia mounted his horse and soon saw his lieutenants doing the same ahead of him. The orbs were still falling. When they didn't hit their target it hit the ground like a comet. Hasencia did his best to maneuver around his men and the exploding ground around him. But an orb hit right in front of him. The horse screamed and Hasencia fell off his white stallion. Still spooked, the mighty animal inadvertently kicked his master. "Aaaagghh!" Hasencia yelped. The powerful kick sent Hasencia several feet behind. He cringed in the sudden pain that overwhelmed his left arm—it was obviously broken. Using his right arm to get up, Hasencia started to run on foot with his retreating army.

High above them, Dart took amusement in seeing them scurry around like little ants. He turned to join his fellow dragoons who were waiting for him.

"Good job, m'boy." Haschel congratulated.

"That should definitely send a message." Albert voiced in.

"Maybe too strong of a message" Miranda said.

"A message nonetheless." Dart shot back.

"All right how about we high-tail out of here, I'm hungry." The Violent Thunder Dragoon declared.

As they were leaving a faint echo caught Dart's attention. He turned around to find only the last of the retreating army and no one else. Albert noticed his friend's sudden stop.

"Dart, is everything all right?"

"I heard something."

Miranda also joined Albert in finding out why Dart stopped. "Like what?"

"I'm not sure but I think it sounded like 'The End Begins'."

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. All I own is Penelope and General Hasencia.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 2**

**By:** YoNel

Kratos stood at the edge of the cliff, in a place where no living mortal would want to be. The Great Chasm—the entrance to the Underworld. Souls of the recently deceased kept pouring in the massive canyon.

In his hand was net of supplies that he needed to make his dangerous journey. Food, water and other weapons like an ordinary sword and a small dagger. Kratos expected he wouldn't need them, after all the enchanted Blades of Chaos was one of the most powerful weapons known to mortals. But it was better to be safe rather than sorry. Kratos slung the net over his shoulder and knelt down to begin the descent.

For eight days, the powerful Spartan climbed down the Great Chasm and rested whenever he felt too tired. But that was rarely. Being brutally trained ever since he was young had given him greater stamina than a regular warrior. Not to mention that he was once a slave to the God of War. Thinking about his servitude to the mad god, brought back the memories of that night. Death and Destruction. However when Kratos thought about his evil deeds he immediately tried to focus on his mission to investigate this mysterious whirlpool. The gods of Olympus were indeed petty and cowardly. They would rather let Kratos die than look into it themselves. But, by now, he was used to their ways.

Kratos finally came to an end. He could not descend any further. All that there was left was a deep blackness that appeared to go nowhere. He inhaled deeply and launched himself into the unknown. Kratos took out his blades just incase he met any _obstacles_.

As he descended further and further, Kratos gradually felt his mind being ripped apart. The pain was so intense that he grabbed his head as if to quell it. He wasn't the only one screaming. The souls of the dead were howling as well. The unbearable throbbing was too much even for Kratos. He passed in and out of unconsciousness until he blacked-out completely.

He suddenly woke up and found that he was plummeting into a river of blood. He quickly withdrew his blades and dug them into a near by cliff. He grunted as he suddenly stopped and hit the side of it. He climbed up to the top and got a good look of his surroundings. Not surprisingly, Kratos found a dark and desolate place. He walked away from the cliff and unto the stone pathway. He noticed that his provisions were gone, but that bothered him little. Kratos kept his guard up as he progressed further into the Underworld. That proved to be wise when he managed to dodge a massive black paw in the nick of time.

He was confronted by one of the most powerful creatures the ancient world had ever known, Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld. The massive creature's roar didn't even faze Kratos. Out of the corner of his eye, Kratos noticed three chains restraining the beast--leading towards one place. He followed the chains until he noticed two figures standing on a tall pillar in the distance. He realized that the one containing Cerberus was Hades, the God of the Underworld and the other was the beautiful Persephone.

"Kratos!" the powerful god shouted, "Athena has faith that you are right champion to face any challenges that wait in the mysterious unknown. I, on the other hand, do not. You must prove yourself worthy to me first."

"I need not prove anything to anyone, Hades. Let me pass! I have no time for games!" Kratos hissed.

"This is no game, Spartan! I requested that Hercules venture forth into the abyss. But my self-righteous niece insisted that you be our champion! I agreed—on the condition that you prove yourself to me. Hercules was able to capture Cerberus bare-handed. I offer you a chance to kill it with the very blades I created for you. Now, defeat my beast and prove to me that savagery isn't all Ares taught you."

Kratos grunted rather loudly, to illustrate his unwillingness, but nevertheless he withdrew his Blades of Chaos and looked at the enormous beast.

"Now go, my pet and destroy the infamous Ghost of Sparta!" Hades shouted as he released the chains.

Cerberus launched a paw at Kratos. This time Kratos simply stepped out of the way and countered by jamming both blades into the beast's paw. Cerberus howled in pain but quickly went on the offensive again. He moved backwards and ran at full speed at the little Spartan.

Noticing this early enough to think, Kratos moved into a position where his back was facing the side of a large cliff. At the last moment he jumped away and Cerberus hit the side of the mountain. Massive boulders fell on the beast and crushed one of the heads. Unfortunately, the two remaining heads were only momentarily dazed.

Kratos took this precious opportunity to find two large stone pillars. He positioned himself between them and flung his blades in such a way that each one wrapped around a pillar. The idea was to get on one of the creature's head. And Kratos did just that, when he slingshot himself unto a head. He attacked the head while gracefully dodging the bite from both of them. He hacked and slashed making the beast grow angrier. But Kratos did not relent. He even managed to drive his blade into one of its eye.

The Cerberus growled deeply. It was beyond enraged. Kratos noticed this and smiled. This is exactly what he wanted. Kratos quickly jumped onto the other head and gracefully kept himself from being ensnared within its powerful fangs. The other, badly cut, head lunged for Kratos with such ferocity that it failed to notice that Kratos had jumped into air and landed on the ground. The attacking head unintentionally bit into its "brother's" neck and ripped off its head—leaving a bleeding stump. Kratos looked at the creature with a devilish smile on his face.

Hades was also impressed. As a matter of fact the God of the Dead was slightly embarrassed that his well-trained beast was already missing two heads. "I grow bored. I propose that we make this a lot more entertaining." Hades casually stuck out his hand and conjured a spell. He launched the magic at the Cerberus. Before Kratos knew it, the remaining head was shooting a powerful energy-form from its mouth. The Spartan found himself doing a lot of evasive maneuvers to survive. The beast was unrelenting and was trying to get a good angle on the little human. Kratos hid behind one of the stone pillars. It was then he noticed that the pillar had a sharp and pointed tip. This gave him an idea. He came out of hiding and revealed himself to the creature. "Wretched beast—come and face me!" he shouted.

The creature saw Kratos and quickly ran towards him. Unfazed by the speeding creature, Kratos patiently waited for the creature to position its head over the pointed pillar and when it did, Kratos took full advantage. He flung his blades deep into the creature's jaw and pulled with all his might. Despite using all his might, Kratos was slowly being driven closer and closer to Cerberus.

Upon realizing this, he situated himself behind the pillar. The pillar appeared firmly entrenched within the River. Using the aging column to stop his movement, Kratos put both feet on it and pulled. This time Cerberus' remaining head was moving unwillingly. He inched closer and closer to the pointed structure with Kratos pulling with so much strength that it would have impressed Hercules. But Kratos knew that he couldn't keep this long and his strength was waning. He then reminded himself what he was fighting for. If he succeeded in his mission, he would be one step closer to ridding himself of the nightmares that have tormented him for so long. This motivated him so much that with a single and mighty heave, the pointed pillar was jammed into the Cerberus' head. The once grey column was now entrenched in fresh blood. Kratos fell to the ground exhausted. He slowly arose and looked up at monarchs of the underworld.

"I AM DONE PLAYING YOUR GAMES, GODS OF THE DEAD! LET ME PASS!" Kratos shouted in frustration.

"Hmm…unfortunately you have proven yourself worthy, Ghost of Sparta. Ah, I did wish to have you as one of my _permanent_ guests, but nevertheless you have won. As reward you may venture forth into my realm." Hades shouted from his tall pillar

Kratos sighed in relief.

"Now, go, champion of the Gods," Hades hissed, "I have no more time to waste on the likes of you!"

Kratos angrily glared at Hades for a moment before slowly turning around.

"Wait," Persephone said, "What is a champion if he is not at his best? Allow me, Spartan, to heal your wounds."

Kratos nodded and a dark light enveloped him. The wounds he had suffered were gone and when he looked back, the Gods were too. He quickly focused on finding the vortex. Kratos continued to travel eastward—destroying those who would get in his way.

It was several more hours until Kratos found the whirlpool. The vortex of black and green swirls spun counterclockwise and made him shiver a little bit. There was even a little sliver of fear in Kratos. But he closed his eyes, gathered his strength and jumped into the massive whirlpool. Almost immediately Kratos was in extreme pain—more pain than he ever had before. His entire body was being stretched and twisted, not to mention his mind. Again he became a victim to unconsciousness and blacked out. A rush of memories bombarded his mind. Memories that have continued to haunt him.

"_ARES! DESTROY MY ENEMY AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!"_

_"…THIS ENTIRE VILLIAGE STANDS AS A FRONT TO LORD ARES! BURN THIS VILLAGE—BURN IT TO THE GROUND!"_

_"BE WARNED, KRATOS, THE DANGERS IN THE TEMPLE ARE GREATER THAN YOU KNOW."_

_"…NOTHING WILL HOLD YOU BACK YOU WILL BECOME EVEN STRONGER—YOU WILL BE BECOME DEATH ITSELF."_

A warm breeze forced Kratos to wake up as he lay on the scorching sand. Kratos arose and surveyed his surroundings. There was no sign of life in this strange desert.

"By the gods, where am I?" He asked himself. This place felt strange to him. His servitude to the Gods has taken him all across the ancient world and he was sure that he was not on Earth. Nevertheless, Kratos walked through the scorching desert

It was several hours until Kratos realized he overestimated his stamina in this strange desert and dehydration had begun to set in. Dazed, Kratos accidentally stepped into a sandy sinkhole. He tried to grab for something but it was all for naught. He fell down into an underground cave where he found more sand and open chests. He painfully got up and was violently pushed to the ground when a waterfall of sand fell on top of him. Kratos crawled away and made his way to an exit and found an oasis. He could hardly believe his eyes. He tried to run to it but the lack of water was finally taking effect. Kratos collapsed within two feet of the glistening water. He gazed at the strange sun as he slipped in and out of consciousness. He was making a habit of this. But before Kratos blacked-out again, he saw a hooded figure stand over him. Then he closed his eyes and let himself, once again, become a victim of unconsciousness.

* * *

**Author's Note**: So ends the second chapter. I hope you like it. I know it has a lot to do with Kratos in it, but bear with me. The next chapter will be really juicy! So again read and review. I appreciate all comments, questions and even negative feedback, because that will only make this story better. See you in chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. Everyone else, I own.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 3**

**By:** YoNel

Kratos suddenly awoke and came face to face with a spear of some sort. Although he could tell it was a spear, Kratos realized it wasn't of his world. A matter of fact, the soldiers keeping watch over him had strange armor—the likes of which he had never seen before. More focused on the weapon at his head, Kratos tried to move his hand and found that his arms and legs were tied to the bed. A sudden jerk set one hand free and Kratos took the weapon and hit the soldier holding it with the blunt side. He withdrew his Blades and the soldiers took out their weapons. They were about to attack until…

"Hold men!"

The soldiers stopped as did Kratos. The Spartan looked to a dark corner of the room and noticed a heavily armored man sitting on a chair. He was obviously the leader…a general perhaps.

"We mean you no harm, warrior." He said, "My name is General Hasencia."

"Where am I?" Kratos demanded.

"You are in the city of Hoax. A military compound."

"How did I get here?"

"Someone claiming to be an ally of ours delivered you to us. Your body was without water so I had my men nurture you back to health. Although your garments are, by our standards, primitive, we recognized you are a warrior." Hasencia cleared his throat, "Now…before I continue—may I ask to whom I am speaking to?"

Kratos relaxed. He realized he was among allies for the time being. After all they did save his life. "I am Kratos."

"Well Kratos, it is nice to meet you." Hasencia said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Kratos ignored it. "You said you are a general. Are you currently at war?"

Hasencia winced a bit, "Yes. With foes that Soa himself has cursed us with."

"How vast is their army?"

"They are comprised of six warriors."

"You whine over six warriors? I have faced far more."

"You too are a man of war?"

"Once." Kratos remembered the glory days in Sparta but brought himself back to reality.

"Well, these aren't your ordinary warriors, Kratos. These six are like gods among men. They are called Dragoons."

Suddenly a young warrior interrupted the conversation and whispered into Hasencia's ear. "Sir, is it wise to divulge such information to this man? We only know his name."

"Stand down, admiral, he is a man of war—I trust him. Besides, we need all the help we can receive."

Kratos shot the admiral a quick stare before turning back to Hasencia.

"Dragoons are dragon warriors who possess the power to control the elements. Fire, ice, wind, earth, thunder, light, dark and void. The fire and dark dragoons are dead, but as long as the void dragoon lives they are still unbeatable. Together, these dragoons saved our world from a tyrant named Melbu Frahma and the God of Destruction."

"Then why are they your enemies now?" Kratos asked.

"We are not entirely sure—but I believe it has something to do with the death of Shana, the wife of their leader, Dart Feld. Trauma of that magnitude would turn calm men into war mongers. Now he and his friends have built a fortress in the sky and are trying to oppress and conquer the world."

"And you are trying to stop them?"

"Yes." Hasencia went into his pocket and pulled out black sphere. "We were hoping this would help us."

Kratos eyed the sphere suspiciously. "What is it?"

"Using our magicians, we created a Divine Moon Object—an artificial one to be exact. We had thought it would aid us in battle. But it's useless."

Kratos watched the general get up and it was then he noticed the aging warrior's missing leg.

"They did this to me." He said as he walked to the window. After several minutes of silence, the general turned to the Ghost of Sparta. "It's getting late. Come and feast with us Kratos. We have much more to talk about."

Kratos only nodded and all men exited the house shortly afterward. Kratos looked at the fortified houses and towers with soldiers all over the place. It reminded him of Sparta. He knew that despite traveling through the Great Chasm and defeating Cerberus—his journey was only just beginning.

* * *

Dart and Albert were in the war room discussing new plans to destroy the Sandoran army when Miranda walked in.

"Dart, may I speak with you?" She asked.

"Speak."

Miranda eyed Albert, "Alone."

Albert rolled his eyes and gathered his maps before leaving the room. Dart sat on his throne and watched Miranda. He knew she was about to say something he wouldn't like.

"What the hell do you want?"

"I'm having serious doubts on what you're trying to achieve here."

"What is there to doubt? To protect Endiness we must also control it. Simplicity is the key to success, Miranda."

"But at what cost?"

Dart sat up, "No cost is too great to protect the world."

"Even if it means oppressing and tormenting it?"

"No one said it was going to be easy."

"Can't we just leave the people alone and be there for them when they need us?"

"Miranda, I can't count how many times we've been through this. I'm the leader of the Dragoons. I possess the power of the King of All Dragons. Those who do not share my vision will be crushed by it. Do you not share my vision, Miranda?"

Miranda got the message—back off. "No, I just question it—that's all."

"Questioning it is almost equally offensive." Dart got up and walked to the window overlooking the massive landscape. "Do you not see, Miranda? This was Soa's fate all along."

"Soa wants all beings to be equal and unified. Oppression is not unity."

"Watch your tone, Miranda."

"My apologies, oh great King of The Dragoons."

"You're walking a very thin line Miranda and you're slipping." Dart said angrily.

"Look, all I wanted was a little perspective on why you're doing all this."

"Well, you can leave now." Dart said.

Miranda turned around and headed for the door. She stopped halfway and looked back at her leader. "If only Shana was here."

"GET OUT NOW!"

Miranda left. She smiled a bit knowing she had cast doubt in Dart's heart.

* * *

Tenna looked at the star-filled night from the balcony from the feasting hall. The beautiful sight was obstructed by the soaring watchtowers occupying them. Across the balcony, Tenna noticed Kratos leaning on the balcony surveying the fortified buildings the guards. He was out of his tradition garments (or lack of them) and was wearing the typical Hoax warrior armor. Tenna casually walked to him.

Kratos noticed her out of the corner of his eye but didn't bother to acknowledge her.

"Hello there, stranger." Tenna said.

"What do you want?" Kratos hissed back.

"Looking for some company?"

"Not from you."

Tenna walked closer to him and put her hand on his chest. "Just let me take all your pain away."

Kratos slapped her hands away and grabbed her neck. "You can't even begin to understand the pain I've been through."

"DRAGON! DRAGON!" A watchtower lookout shouted.

Suddenly a massive dragon emerged from the surrounding forest and flew above the fortified city. It released several fireballs at several watchtowers before firing one at Kratos' position.

Kratos dodged the inferno but the same could not be said for Tenna, who was burned alive. But Kratos was unfazed and quickly got down to where the troops were already attacking the beast. He met Hasencia towards the back of the army shooting arrows, despite his handicap. Kratos had to admit even he was moved by Hasencia's resilience and need to be in battle. Not many men would throw themselves into battle with only one leg. But the Spartan was appalled to see men running in fear when the tide of the battle began to turn to the dragon's favor. He quickly looked for a way to reach the highest point to have any chance to of defeating the monster. He entered a house and climbed a ladder near the back wall. He made it to the roof and proceeded on jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

Along the way, the dragon released eggs that immediately hatched when they landed in front of Kratos. The baby dragons were anything but adorable and had a vicious bite as Kratos soon found out. Realizing that time was surely not on his side, the Ghost of Sparta took each dragon one by one and proceeded to viciously break their neck. He kicked their carcasses off the building and raced to up one the few remaining watchtowers.

The dragon hadn't realized Kratos was there, but the beast did when the Spartan hurled a blade into its belly. The reptile howled in pain and tried to rip off the blade but Kratos was already on its back. Whenever it tried to shake him off, he would respond by digging blade into its back until Kratos finally made it to the dragon's head. He dug one blade to hold on as the beast shook and used the other blade to hack away at its single eye. Before long the dragon was blinded and was barreling downward towards the city. When it landed on the ground, Kratos noticed all the warriors were gone. These were truly cowards. It was a mistake to compare anyone in this city to his beloved Sparta. He retracted those thoughts when he saw the army near the far side of the city wall. With them were ten cannons ready to fire. Kratos quickly moved out of the way and soon the blind dragon was nothing more than a burning corpse. Kratos looked at Hasencia—he obviously orchestrated the move.

"Impressive." Kratos reluctantly admitted.

"I often try to be." He responded.

* * *

Kratos was used to this. He could definitely empathize with General Hasencia. These meetings with other high-rank commanders and lieutenants were often mind-numbing. Constantly hearing grown men screaming to each other over the best combat strategy was one of the downsides of being a general. These arguments of often got personal.

"Why should we even listen to man who got where is his with daddy's money?" One commander shouted.

"Because I have more sense then you!" The other responded.

"That's not what your mother said to me last night!"

"Tut! Why you…!"

"Enough!" Hasencia interrupted, "We have no time to bicker amongst ourselves! The Dragoons are steadily conquering country after country. We must respond! I have just received word that the Dragoons plan to attack the city of Fletz and Donau. The king of Tiberoa has asked for our assistance."

"What does he want us to do?" One commander asked.

"He knows that even with our help we stand little chance against the Dragoons so he's asked us to help get the citizens of Fletz and Donau to safety. We will dispatch a lot of our men to help with the evacuations. One group will help with the evacuations in Donau while the other will help in Fletz."

The only female commander suddenly stood up and saluted her general. "General, let me lead the team going to Donau—I was born there and I feel…"

"I understand Commander Syntia. Very well, you will lead the group going to Donau." Hasencia said. "While Commander Yonaru will help in Fletz." He turned to Kratos. "Kratos you will be joining them. This is the perfect opportunity for him to see the Dragoons' power first hand."

The young commander turned to Kratos and quickly bowed. "It's an honor to work with you warrior."

Kratos merely looked at him before reverting attention back towards Hasencia.

"Make the necessary preparations before heading out. Now if there is anything else…meeting adjourned."

The commanders and the lieutenants headed out of the door with Kratos following slowly behind. The Spartan stopped, though, when Hasencia called out his name.

"Kratos. I feel I must warn you. The Dragoons are extremely powerful. Do not underestimate their might. They are like gods."

Kratos turned around and walked slowly towards Hasencia. "There comes a time when even gods must die." Kratos said before exiting the room.

* * *

**Author's Note**: I finally uploaded. Well the thing was that I was kind of stuck for a while, but I'm out of the hole. So R&R and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. Everyone else, I own.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 4**

**By:** YoNel

The two dozen soldiers that arrived in Fletz were relieved to see that the Dragoons hadn't come yet. But Kratos was more concerned with the sheer beauty of the city. Never had he even encounter such magnificence. All the buildings were silvery-white and glistened when the sun hit them.

"By the gods," Kratos whispered.

Commander Yonaru had already begun ordering some men to escort the elderly and children out of the city. "Make sure you get them as far away from the city as you can. Take them to Lohan if you have to. The goal is to have no casualties!"

Kratos scoffed at the goal. This was a time if war. There is no such thing as "no casualties." Still, Kratos helped. He kicked down doors and forcibly removed children and the elderly from their homes. Most did not know what was going on and Kratos didn't bother to tell them. Some tried to fight him but Kratos quickly disarmed them and threw them unto the streets where Sandoran and Tiberoan soldiers alike escorted them out of the city.

The entire force was making good progress until a powerful gale came over the city. Kratos was blown off his feet but quickly recovered. When he looked up he saw three winged creatures headed right for the city. Kratos realized he wasn't the only one who saw it when soldiers started screaming.

"DRAGOONS!" One soldier screamed.

This was his chance. Kratos wanted to see the dreaded beings that have ruined so many lives. He chuckled to himself—he and the Dragoons had something in common.

* * *

"Thunder God Attack" Haschel yelled as he plowed into the ground and came back up. He repeated the motion several times before reaching a group of soldiers charged with guarding Donau's port. When Haschel's thundering might hit them—the soldiers were either instantly vaporized or blown back.

Commander Syntia could hardly believe her eyes. She had only heard about the Dragoon, she had never seen them. And there they were. At least three of them. From what she knew she could tell that the thunder, water and earth dragoons were attacking her men. She barely had anytime to evacuate people when the majestic warriors came.

"Steadfast, men!" She ordered. "We have to get these people out of here!"

Kongol landed on the ground and swung his axe over his head several times before slamming it into the ground.

"Grand stream!" He shouted.

The earth around his mortal targets buckled and moved before splitting and swallowing them whole. Kongol looked at Meru and the water dragoon simply gave a thumbs-up.

Syntia ordered half of her remaining men unto the tops of roofs to shoot arrows at the Dragoons while the other half were to get the innocents out.

Meru noticed this just in time. "Diamond Dust!" The Wingly shouted.

An eerie coldness fell upon the people leaving the city before three massive ice pillars surrounded them.

"NO!" Syntia shouted. She knew what was going to happen.

The ice pillars quickly bonded into one—leaving the fleeing people trapped in one huge pillar of ice. Using her Dragoon power, Meru unleashed an ice blade that cut the pillar into little pieces. What were left were frozen body parts of soldiers and evacuees alike.

"A little brutal…don't you think?" Haschel asked.

Meru winked at him. "It's Dart's wish for us to be as brutal as can be."

Syntia fell to her knees. This couldn't be happening. Her home and all the people were being destroyed. The friends…the family…the flowers she grew up with were now being wiped off the face of Endiness. Despite this, Syntia remembered her mission. There were still some people that needed to be evacuated. She noticed a massive boat that was still intact. A boat large enough to carry what was left of the civilians out of Donau. But she knew that the Dragoons would destroy it before they could get there. She noticed the men that were still attacking on the roofs. Then she noticed a few men operating the cannons on the ground.

"Bring those cannons to the roof and fight with all your might." She ordered.

* * *

A growing tornado had formed in the middle of city and was quickly sucking solider and evacuee alike into its being. Kratos made to note to stay clear of it and concentrate on his blond-haired opponents. One of the dragoons was woman in white armor; the other (and source of the powerful winds) was a man in decorated green armor and the last was a man (way younger than himself) in the bulkiest armor out of them. This one had to be the feared Dart, the King of the Dragoons. Kratos knew he had to stop the green one's windy assault. He saw a large ladder leaning against a wall near the entrance of the castle. At the top was an instrument the likes he had ever seen. It appeared to be gazing at the cosmos—nevertheless Kratos noticed the green one was flying to close to it. He smiled and raced towards the ladder.

Several miles away, in the sky, Dart watched as Albert laid waste to the people of Fletz and their pitiful attempt to escape. Miranda wasn't involved in the attack. Her defense-based abilities meant she was just in charge of healing Albert whenever he was hit with a cannonball or earth-based magic (which he was vulnerable to).

Miranda was dying inside watching the people struggle valiantly to run for their lives. She had enough and flew to Dart.

"Dart. Do we really have to do this?" She pleaded.

Dart rolled his eyes. "We've been through this countless times before, Miranda. Yes, we must."

"But why are we fighting them?"

"Because they are fighting us." He bluntly responded.

"They are only attacking because we attacked first. They're just defending themselves."

"Miranda—just help Albert."

"No! I've had enough. We do not harm innocent people!" Miranda shouted.

The majestic cannon on Dart's right arm began to glow. An obvious indication to Miranda to back off or suffer the consequences.

But Miranda could not quell her inner torment anymore. "Do what you must, Dart," she said coldly.

The tension between the two Dragoons was interrupted when they heard Albert screaming from miles away.

* * *

Haschel, Meru and Kongol seemed to have fun slowly destroying the city. They eradicated a local church—which not too long ago they were in. Long before they defeated Meblu Frahma, the entire gang attended a wedding between the mayor's son and his wife. They—including the mayor himself were long dead. Each of them wept a little but they understood what they had to do in order to protect all of Endiness. Their thoughts were interrupted when hordes of blazing cannonballs raced toward them. Thanks to their speed, Haschel and Meru were able to dodge most of them while Kongol got hit the most. And though he grunted when they hit his Dragoon armor, Kongol knew they would never pierce it.

Despite this, the soldiers kept on firing—distracting the bombarded Dragoons long enough for the remaining evacuees to board the large ship.

Syntia was relieved to see that her plan was working and was almost jubilant when the ship undocked.

"Thank Soa," she whispered.

Meru had enough. She started swiftly swinging her hammer at the soldiers firing—instantly killing them. However she failed to notice a massive cannonball headed right for her. The fireball hit her with so much force that she landed near the pier. She cursed her Dragoon spirit for having a weakness towards fire. Then she noticed a large ship of evacuees leaving the port. Meru quickly deciphered Syntia's plan and smiled at the cleverness.

Kongol quickly came at her side and helped her up. "Meru hurt?"

"I'll be fine, Kongol," she responded.

Then Kongol noticed the ship leaving too. "Ship leaving. Kongol stop them."

Meru placed a hand in front of him. "I'll handle this, Kongol." Meru said. She flew into the air and blue sparks started enveloping her entire body. "After all they are in my element here."

Suddenly the ship began to rock violently. So much so that evacuees were thrown off and most drowned. But that wasn't the worse of it.

Syntia looked at the situation developing from a hilltop near the pier. She cursed herself for making such a foolish error. She forgot that each Dragoon had the ability to do it. She noticed a large shadow beneath the ship that quickly revealed itself to be an enormous sea dragon. The massive creature jumped over the ship and landed in the water on the other side, sending massive waves unto the ship. The vessel toppled over to its side and sent everyone on the ship to the water. Most tried to swim to the pier but their efforts were in vain. The sea dragon either ripped or ate each swimmer it saw. Soon the entire harbor was littered with the bodies of soldiers and innocents alike.

Syntia looked back to the town and found that her men on the roof top were nothing more than charred lifeless bodies. Syntia bowed her head. This was it. The End. Despite her valiant efforts—in the end she had failed. She looked around and noticed she was that last one alive. The three Dragoons flew to the ground and surrounded her.

Meru smiled. "Nice try, though," she said mockingly.

Syntia quickly got up and charged at Meru. "You bastard!"

Meru simply moved out of the way and Syntia fell to the ground. The Wingly smiled sadistically and motioned to her teammates. "Everyone, now!"

Haschel stuck his hand into the air and a single thunderbolt struck Syntia. She was still alive but was in extreme pain. Next, Meru conjured a small ice pillar to incase and hold Syntia. Despite this, the female commander was still alive. But that ended when Kongol swung his mighty axe to her. What remained of Commander Syntia of the Sandoran Army were scattered frozen body parts. Haschel and Kongol flew into the air while Meru lingered and looked at the icy remains. She kicked them all down the hilltop to further disgrace Syntia's remains before joining her friends and flying off with them into the distance. The once beautiful and bustling city of Donau was now a lifeless and burning ruin.

* * *

Kratos was surprised that his blades could penetrate the mighty Dragoon armor—but after all the Blades of Chaos were enchanted. He dug his other blade into Albert and struggled to maintain balance on the Wind Dragoon's back.

Albert could hardly believe it as he and Kratos both plummeted to the ground. He was dying, but how could this warrior's blade pierce his armor? He looked up, vision blurred, to see Kratos standing above him with both blades raised in the air.

The Spartan felt Albert's warm blood as he drove both blades into the Dragoon. Suddenly Kratos was lifted into the air and came face to face with Dart.

Miranda rushed to Albert's side and was about to conjure the healing spell known as Moon Light when her friend grabbed her arm.

"No!" Albert said.

"What? Let me heal you!" Miranda responded.

"No!" Albert repeated, "Though…t-this was not the—the way I was expecting t-t-t-to go—I'll g-g-gladly accept this fate."

"What? You want to die? Why?"

"It's—it's the only justice for all the horrible things…I have done--to not only the people—but all of Endiness…you're not the only one who was conflicted."

"How did--?"

"Miranda, you're a fighter not a murderer. You're… the only…the only one of us t-t-that hasn't killed innocent people in the name of… Dart's cause."

Albert's eyes began to close as the last bits of life began to leave his body. In response, his majestic green Dragoon armor disappeared and his Dragoon stone floated above his body. In a bright green flash the powerful stone was nothing more than dozens of little crystals. Tainted and used for evil—the Jade Dragoon Stone was no more. Albert looked at Miranda as tears ran down her face. "S-s-top Dart…before he destroys everything we know—and—and l-love…"

Miranda stood up and looked at her dead friend. She looked up to the sky to see any indication of either Kratos or Dart.

* * *

"Who are you?!" Dart demanded as he held Kratos in an inescapable bear hug.

"I am Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta! But you can call me—Death!!" Kratos yelled as he managed to get both of his arms free. He withdrew his blades and was surprised to find out that they couldn't pierce Dart's armor.

"Unfortunately for you, 'Kratos', I'm made of a lot tougher stuff than my comrades!" Dart said as he began to fly higher into the sky.

As they ascended, Kratos' air became scarce but he wouldn't let that stop him. "You're armor may be formidable, Dragoon, but you're face is not!" Kratos said as he slashed Dart's face with one of his blades.

"Aaaagghh!" Dart screamed as he let Kratos go.

But before Kratos could plummet any further, Kratos managed to get one blade around Dart's leg.

Dart's wound quickly recovered and soon he was taking Kratos for the ride of his life. He raced toward the ground so fast that Kratos could barely open his eyes.

A sudden stop near Fletz made the Spartan's body jerk in ways it wasn't supposed to. But still Kratos held on to his opponent.

"Oh, this is not the end, Kratos!" Dart said sadistically. The King of the Dragoons flew to the most congested part of Fletz and raced across the sky just above the buildings.

Kratos hit so many building walls that his blade began to unravel around Dart's leg. Soon Kratos was sent crashing to the ground. He swayed and stumbled as he rose to his feet to confront Dart. He was bruised and large cuts were scattered across his body.

"Kratos—this is the end!" Dart said. The cannon on Dart's right arm began to glow as an aura enveloped him. He landed on the ground and prepared the cannon. "DIVINE DRAGON CANNON!"

A massive wave of energy hit Kratos—the likes of which he never felt before. His skin was being shredded apart as he immediately lost consciousness. Kratos' body went through several buildings before stopping at a fountain near the entrance of the city.

Dart smiled. Truly his power was unmatched in the entire universe. He raced toward his opponents' body to see the devastation he left on the strange warrior. He was a little surprised to see Kratos still alive. Dart took out his majestic sword to finish the job until he was hit by a cannonball that managed to knock him out of the air and unto the ground. He quickly recovered and turned to see a small army with a dozen of cannons led by Commander Yonaru.

"Fire!" Yonaru commanded. And all 12 of the cannons fired in unison.

Though Dart was fast, he wasn't fast enough to dodge all of the attacks. Surely the commander and his pitiful army knew their cannonballs wouldn't hurt Dart—if anything it just distracted him long enough. Then it dawned on the King of Dragoons. He turned around to see Kratos and a foot solider on horseback about a mile away. He had thought to chase them down but wanted revenge against Yonaru and his men for fooling him so easily. He flew into the sky; he spread his arms out to the sides and two little pockets opened upward to reveal little cannons on his armor-clad shoulders.

Yonaru knew what was coming but was not afraid.

"Bring it," he whispered.

"Divine Dragon Ball!" Dart shouted as thousands of little orbs rained from the sky.

"Shields!" Yonaru commanded upon seeing the little red orbs of death rain from Dart. In unison all the soldiers put their shields towards the sky to block the incoming attack. Though the defense was formidable—it was not invincible. Some soldiers were blown away by the sheer force of the orbs hitting the ground near them. Most soldiers however didn't expect the orbs to melt right through their shields. Their screams of death were echoed since their shields were so close to each other. Yonaru was the only one left alive. He was bleeding from where his arm used to be. He struggled to get up and grab a shield to continue the fight. He looked around the Fletz landscape. All but a couple of dozen evacuees made it out of the city alive. The mission (for the most part) was a success.

Dart landed in front of Yonaru and watched as the young commander struggled to maintain his balance. With a single swipe from his sword, Yonaru's head lay on the ground several feet from his body. He flew to Miranda's side as she knelt down near Albert's body.

"Can you bring him back?" Dart asked.

Miranda cringed at the sound of his voice. "He's beyond healing."

"Then let's be on our way."

"Doesn't he even deserve a proper burial?" Miranda asked.

"We are currently at war! We have not the time." Dart made very clear.

Miranda was too weak—too broken to fight her "king". She got up and looked at him briefly before ascending into the sky.

Dart looked at the body of his longtime friend before flying off too.

* * *

Kratos' body was already convulsing by the time the foot solider had reached Hoax. Already informed of the situation, General Hasencia saw that his best physicians and medicine were ready to be used on the dying Spartan. But nothing worked. For hours Hasencia and the doctors sat around Kratos' body trying to do anything they could.

"Hasencia…he's already slipped into a coma." One physician stated, "It's only a matter of time until he dies."

"...try the healing fog again." Hasencia ordered.

The young physician nodded and pulled out a beaker of purple liquid and poured it all over Kratos' body. The purple liquid soon turned into small fog that remained over Kratos' body before dissipating altogether. The doctor checked Kratos' heart rate and looked at Hasencia before shaking his head.

"No…change," he said, his voice coated with remorse.

"Maybe I can help," said a hooded figure standing at the doorway of the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Hasencia demanded.

The stranger removed her hood and everyone looked at her in complete astonishment.

"My name is Miranda and I am the White-Silver Dragoon."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well that is the end of Chapter 4, folks. I hoped you liked it! Thanks for the reviews. I'll try to get Chapter 5 as quickly as I can. Bye!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. Everyone else, I own.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 5**

**By:** YoNel

Shock overwhelmed most of the people in the room. The soldiers took out their weapons, ready to fight the White-Silver Dragoon. They would've charged if Hasencia hadn't motioned them to stop.

"What are you doing here?" The general demanded.

Miranda looked at the convulsing body of Kratos and looked back at the limp man. "I came to help. My dragoon stone will heal him."

Hasencia looked at his men and they shook their heads at him. They wanted to see her dead for the suffering her and her friends had caused Endiness. He couldn't blame them. But he knew of the powerful healing magic Miranda's stone had and nodded to her--which resulted in unpleased groans from his subordinates.

Miranda walked over to the body as the doctor stepped away. He too had heard of the powerful healing magic Miranda possessed and was amazed when the whitish-silver stone radiated throughout the room. It immediately stopped the convulsing and began to slowly heal Kratos' major wounds.

The army watched in amazement. They had never seen such a beautiful light before much less such effective healing magic. Within no time all the wounds were healed and Kratos' heavy breathing could be heard by everyone in the room. Miranda stepped away from the body and looked at the men.

"He should wake up soon." She stated.

Hasencia looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I'm--I'm tired of following some perverted ideal. Dart has lost touch with himself and humanity. He must be stopped."

Hasencia scoffed at little. It took her this long to come to this conclusion, he thought. But he had made it a habit to tell when people were lying and Miranda was sincere. He looked to his infantrymen behind him.

"Set her up in a vacant home and give her the necessary provisions--food, water, etc. Have two guards stand outside her door"

"But general," A young solider asked. "She is a dragoon, killer of already thousands of people. How can we trust her?"

Hasencia could understand the young man's sentiment but he did not like to be disobeyed. He shot the rookie a stare that scared the infantrymen straight. The young solider got the point and he and another infantrymen escorted Miranda out of the room.

They took her out into the streets where people immediately recognized her and looked at her with disgust. Miranda ignored them; she expected this. She expected to be hated more or less. What she couldn't expect was what would Dart do if he found out her treachery.

* * *

"WHAT?" Dart yelled as he sat on his throne.

Meru was a little scared. She didn't want to read anymore of the note Miranda had left for them. "I--I think she is gone for good."

Haschel and Kongol were a little scared too and were more than happy _they_ didn't discover the note and had to read it to Dart.

Dart sat back in his chair and sighed. "It doesn't matter. She wasn't valuable to us anyway."

The rest knew that was a lie. She was extremely useful. But they dare not utter their opinion.

"Do you think she joined the resistance?" Haschel asked.

"Knowing Miranda--yes. But she can't tell them anything that they don't already know. All she can do is heal them--and they will only prolong the inevitable."

"What does Dart n friends do now?" Kongol asked.

Dart had grown a little annoyed of Kongol way of speaking but answered the Earth Dragoon's question. "Now we make our major move. Now…we attack the Crystal Palace."

* * *

The weekly feast for all the citizens of Hoax was to inspire good morale in the fortified city. But Hasencia could tell that the great loss at Fletz and Donau was too overwhelming. Although, Hasencia was kind enough to invite her to the feast, Miranda knew she was not welcomed. She stepped away from the dining table and over to the massive balcony where she could gaze up the stars. According to urban myth, the stars could tell one's future. What did Miranda's future hold? She was seriously afraid of what Dart would do in retaliation for her treachery. But she knew she could not deny her conscience anymore. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kratos walked unto the balcony. The Spartan was still a little nauseas after waking up several days ago. At first he retrained himself from saying a single word but he couldn't contain himself anymore.

"I'm told that I owe my life to you," Kratos said. "…thank you."

Miranda smiled. Although she had just met this warrior she could tell that "thank you" was very hard for him to say.

"You're welcome, Kratos."

Miranda waited for a reply that would probably lead to a conversation but none came. So she decided to start one with the handsome Spartan.

"Where are you from, Kratos?"

For a moment, the Ghost of Sparta didn't answer. He wasn't known for small talk but decided to give it a try. "A place far, far away from here."

"Whoa. That far, huh?" Miranda said softly. "Do you miss it?

This small-talk was tougher than it looked, but the Spartan didn't give in. "I do not know."

"Do you have someone to go back to?" Miranda asked.

Kratos had battled monsters of all kinds but this, he found, was one of the most difficult things in his life. But, true to his nature, he would not give in. "No. I have no one to go back to."

Surprised by this answer Miranda persisted. "No loved ones? Where's your family?"

"Dead." Kratos said sternly without hesitation.

Miranda was quiet for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Did me and 'my friends' have anything to do with their death?"

"No. They died because of me." Kratos said with hesitation.

Miranda decided not to press the issue. But she still was determined to converse with the Spartan. "Then why are you with the resistance?"

Kratos took a deep breath. "I---do not know. The heat of battle is where I find sanctuary. War is---very alluring to me."

"Oh." Miranda said. She had never met a person like this before--someone like her, that found that battle was good way of freeing yourself from inner turmoil.

The two stood there staring into the night sky. Miranda felt comfortable around Kratos. She couldn't tell if it was because he was the only one to speak to her in days or the fact they both loved to battle. All she knew was that she was comfortable among a friend for the first time…in a long time.

* * *

The next day, Kratos and Miranda sat next to each other at the routine meeting. Like all the previous meetings, this one was about the dragoon threat. Hasencia felt a little a bit happy though, he had a dragoon on his side, and a powerful one at that. After conversing about different strategies, Hasencia turned to his new ally.

"Miranda, is there anything you would like to contribute to this meeting?"

The groans of distrust were clearly heard from around the room but that didn't even faze her. She stood up and addressed the entire group.

"I know that most, if not all of you hate me for what my friends and I have done. And to be honest, I don't blame you--we've done some pretty horrible things. We've killed thousands of innocent people. People who didn't want to be oppressed. People who fought for their freedom from our tyranny."

As she looked around the room, she could see that some commanders had tears in their eyes--they lost loved ones too.

"Sorry--doesn't even describe the way I feel about what we've done. But _I am _sorry."

A young commander scoffed at her. "'Sorry' won't bring back the lives that have been lost."

Miranda felt ashamed. "I know. All I want to do is help."

"You want to help?" The young commander asked mockingly. "Then give us something that will be useful against the your friends."

With the exception of Kratos and Hasencia, the entire group felt the same sentiment.

"I do." Miranda said after the ruckus died down. "The Dragon Buster."

Everyone around the room looked at her in shock except for Kratos--who had no idea what she was talking about.

"Dragon Buster?" Kratos asked.

"It's a powerful sword capable of killing dragoons." Hasencia replied. "But Miranda, wasn't it destroyed?"

"Perhaps. But there are rumors that a small Wingly group took it and hid it away."

"If such a weapon exists--where is it?" Kratos asked.

"I do not know," Miranda replied. "But the Wingly group resides in the Evergreen Forest just east of Deningrad.

"All right, then" Hasencia said. "Kratos and Miranda will lead a small expedition to the Evergreen Forest and try to get the Winglies to tell us where they hid the sword. Assemble the necessary provisions and head out tonight. We must act quickly"

A young infantrymen stood up in protest. "But sir, this dragoon has yet to proven herself an ally. For all we know, she could be a spy for her master."

Miranda felt the infantrymen's venomous gaze upon her but she ignored him to prove that she will not be fazed by accusations."

"Infantrymen Ulza, you are now confined to monitor duty on the southeast lookout tower." Hasencia said sternly. This was the last time his judgment was going to be questioned.

"But--" Ulza said.

"Another word and you'll be sent to clean out the horse stables for the rest of your service. Do I make myself clear?"

Embarrassed, Ulza put his head down. "Yes sir."

"Miranda is now a part of our resistance. If she was going to kill us she would've done it by now. So…does anyone else object to her staying here?"

No one answered.

"Good. Meeting adjourned." Hasencia said in a stern voice.

Everyone, including Kratos left the room to make the necessary arrangements for the journey.

Miranda stayed behind and smiled at Hasencia. "Thank you."

Hasencia smiled back as he walked out of the room. "Make it count."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well now Miranda is part of the group. Things are going to get interesting from here. Don't forget to R&R. Peace!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. Everyone else, I own.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 6**

**By:** YoNel

The team was already in Mille Seseau making their way towards the Evergreen Forest. As they entered the wilderness, Kratos was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the trees. Trees so tall they seem to touch the heavens. Miranda noticed his awe.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" She said interrupting his thoughts.

Kratos ignored her and continued to take in the sights and the different creatures. So far they hadn't run into anything challenging enough. A so-called dark elf here. A forest runner there. Kratos had high hopes for the wounded bear but it must've been truly wounded to be easily defeated by an infantryman. He shook his head and reminded himself to stay focused. They finally stopped at the entrance of even thicker forest.

"Here we are." Miranda said.

Kratos looked and saw nothing but forest.

"Where is it?" An infantrymen asked.

Miranda held out her spirit and it resonated. After the light seceded, a magical doorway stood before them. She stepped inside and disappeared behind it. The infantrymen looked at Kratos--scared by the magical door.

Kratos felt their gaze upon them and rolled his eyes before stepping through. And like sheep, the soldiers followed him. He had never seen a village like this. These Winglies lived in dwellings that seemed to be growing out of branches of this enormous tree.

When Miranda made sure everyone was through, she proceeded to walk to a green protrusion on the floor and step on it.

"Come." She said to Kratos and the others.

They did and suddenly they were encased in a green orb that quickly took them to the top of the tree--to the main dwelling. When they arrived at the entrance, everyone but Miranda regurgitated their previous meal.

"It's a Wingly Teleporter . Don't worry, it'll get easier." Miranda said.

Kratos shot her a look and quickly got up. The group followed her through the dwellings which appeared to have seen better days. Glass, wood and other things lay scattered on the floor all over the place. Strange lamps flickered--trying to hold their light, while abandoned animals growled at the group. Miranda's spirit guided them through the darkness. They used a handful of teleporters until they reached what appeared to be a throne room of sorts. A throne room that had also seen better days. Upon the throne, sat an old man. He wore a long gray robe with green ornaments embedded into the fabric. A small amount of silver hair covered the crown of his head and a tattered red bandana hung on his right ear. His eyes were closed, and his head was limped foreword. Kratos watched as Miranda approached the old man.

"Is he alive?" Kratos asked not really concerned if he was.

"I'm not sure." Miranda responded. When she was close enough to him, noticed that he was breathing. "I think he's just sleeping." She proceeded to poke him several times but he did not wake up.

Growing tired, Kratos grabbed the man by what little hair he had left and threw him into the wall.

"Get up!"

The old man scrambled on the floor and looked at his company with fear in his crimson eyes. "What? What do you want with me?"

"Guaraha?" Miranda asked.

"Miranda?" The old man gasped, after he focused his eyes.

"You know this man?" Kratos asked.

"He's friends with Meru, the Blue Sea Dragoon."

Kratos grabbed Guaraha's neck and slammed him against the wall. "So, he's their ally?"

"No! NO!" Guaraha stammered. "I hate them as much as everyone else!"

Kratos released him and he fell to the floor. Miranda approached him.

"The last time I saw you, you looked pretty young."

The old man dusted himself off. "Yes. No thanks to you! Well, not to _you_ exactly. I suppose you were off cleansing a different Wingly colony when Meru, Kongol and Haschel attacked this one. They killed everyone. Meru even killed her parents. She changed so much. So devoted to Dart. I always knew she loved him. How can I compete with the Divine Dragoon?"

"By why are you so old?" She asked.

"After making me watch them kill my fellow Winglies! Meru decided to make me less of a threat by using a spell to drain my life force, rendering me this decrepit old man. I guess she didn't have the heart to kill me. Maybe at one point she did love me."

"Enough. Where is the Dragon Buster, old man?" Kratos demanded.

Guaraha eyes widened. "The Dragon Buster? Why do you need that?"

"We're planning to stop Dart at any cost!"

He paused. Not sure if he should tell them. But the look on Kratos' face scared him straight.

"It's in Kadessa."

"Kadessa?" Miranda said with annoyance in her voice. "Why there?"

The old man shifted. "After Rose and Dart's father, Zieg laid the final blow to Melbu Frahma, Ancestor Blano told us to collect it and confine it where we originally had kept the Dragon Block Staff."

Miranda sighed and turned to Kratos and the others, knowing they had no idea who or what Kadessa was. "Kadessa used to be Wingly city where they held tournaments between humans and beasts for Wingly pleasure."

Much like Rome, Kratos thought to himself.

"Now it's a ruin--a relic of a terrible time. Years ago, Dart, I and the other Dragoons retrieved an item called the Dragon Block Staff in order to stop the Divine Dragon."

Kratos could surmise what this Dragon Block Staff was. "How do we get to this Kadessa?"

"You can't," Guaraha interrupted, "At least, not by foot. Only I can get you there."

"But the effort might kill you!" Miranda said.

"No. No 'might'. It _will _kill me. But I don't care. With this condition that I have I don't have long to live anyway. Besides, I want you to finally put an end to that witch Meru and her buddies, once and for all."

Miranda thought for a moment; she didn't want anymore unnecessary bloodshed. But she realized he wanted to do this and nodded in confirmation.

Guaraha led the team outside into the courtyard with a staircase leading to supposedly nowhere in the middle. As directed, the team stood close to each other and Wingly concentrated with all his might to form an teleportation orb around them. He managed to succeed until the orb failed and the team fell several feet to the ground. Kratos thought to send the old man to the underworld for that but knew that was unwise. Guaraha tried again and yelled in extreme pain. His heart pumped erratically as he poured every once of his remaining magic into the orb.

"RRRRRAGGGGGGGHHHH!" Guaraha screamed as his life started to slip away from him.

With one last yelp he transported the orb to Kadessa and fell to the ground, dead.

Within moments, the entire team were transported to the deserted wasteland of a city called Kadessa. Once the pride and joy of the Wingly race, Kadessa is now a place where the wild and dangerous animals roam free--ready to destroy any poor unarmed soul caught in this ruin. As the team stepped forward, Kratos surveyed the area, trying to familiarize himself with the environment. Miranda continued to walk down a long narrow path and the team followed. Kratos was the most vigilant--even though he had never been here the city reeked of bloodshed and danger at every corner.

"Hmm...reminds me of Hades rather than Rome." Kratos said out load knowing that no one would understand what that statement meant.

After several hours of teleporters, mazes and an unending wave of vicious creatures the team finally caught a break as they ascended a massive flight of stairs. About half way up, most of the infantrymen were exhausted--only Kratos and Miranda were not tired. The Ghost of Sparta scoffed and continued upwards with Miranda.

"How much further until we reach the sword?" Kratos asked.

Miranda realized he was getting a little impatient but indulged him. "There is a teleporter at the very top of the stairs it should lead us straight there!"

"Are we to expect anything once we get there?"

"When we originally came here there was a creature guarding the staff but we destroyed it." Miranda explained.

Both turned back to see the infantrymen finally off their feet and following them. When they reached the top, they stood on the teleporter and were transported higher up. When they reached their destination, they were welcomed with a large circular room with a hole in the middle--but no Dragon Buster.

"Where is it?" Kratos asked.

"It should be here. Where else would they put it?" Miranda responded also confused.

"Search the room for the sword." Kratos ordered the infantrymen.

They weren't happy about being led by a stranger and a Dragoon but they did as they were told. Kratos and Miranda also joined the search and examined the deep and bottomless hole. Both peered closer in an attempt to possibly see the end of the pit and suddenly the edge of the hole gave way and both were falling down the chasm. Both hit the ground with a thud and were out.

* * *

A pregnant mother and her child were outside taking the fresh winter air in Deningrad. Ever since what was known as the Great Betrayal of the Dragoons, the wintry city had become more fortified under the orders of Queen Theresa. Four times a day, the massive walls and defense systems were routinely checked to ensure that Deningrad was protected by the Dragoons. Most citizens had considered themselves lucky, since the Dragoons had made no attempt to attack their city and Crystal Palace. More knowledgeable people knew that it was Miranda that kept the city safe from the rest of the Dragoons.

"Mommy, what's that?" The child pointed to the sky.

The mother looked and saw a beautiful rainbow. "That's a rainbow, sweetie."

"WOOOOW!" The boy responded, bewildered and in awe of the pretty colors.

The mother looked at the rainbow and smiled. "Thank Soa." She whispered. As she continued to look she noticed the oddity of the rainbow. It's only colors were blue, gold, purple and white. She had never seen an odd assortment of colors in a rainbow before. She also hadn't seen a rainbow split up and head off in different directions. Then she realized the unthinkable.

"Come on, hunny, we have to get out of here!" She yelled as she grabbed the boy with one arm and ran as far as her pregnant body could take her. But it was too late. A purple lightning bolt erupted from the sky and vaporized the expecting mother and her child. Soon the entire city was being struck by massive thunderbolts.

"DRAGOONS!" A lookout screamed from his tower.

The sound of loud beating drums was the alarm that let the city know of the impending danger.

Queen Theresa stepped out of her quarters and were met by Sacred Sister Wink. The female commander briefed the queen on the situation.

"Mobilize our Anti-Dragoon Units and Deningrad Citizen Guardsmen. Tell the First-Liners to ready the magic cannons and fire when permitted! Deningrad will not fall to the Dragoons!" She ordered angrily.

"Yes, my queen." Wink said before leaving.

The Queen returned to her quarters to view the in destruction outside. Although, she possessed the power to send a massive army to confront the Dragoons, she wished she was younger---when she was a Sacred Sister and join the fight below--but she knew that those times were over and that the people needed her to be safe and sound once the attack was over. She was their beacon of hope.

"Deningrad has been attacked before and we have always come out stronger. We will do so today!" She said to herself.

Down below, the citizens were being led to magically-empowered safety bunkers throughout the city by the Deningrad Citizen Guardsmen. The First Liner's were scattered across the rooftops firing their magical cannons at the Dragoons high up into the sky. They were too far to see if it actually did any damage. The sorcerers and magically enhanced soldiers of the Anti-Dragoon Units braced themselves for whatever was buckling their mighty iron door. As the door bent and twisted under the pressure of whatever was attacking it, a little hole developed and water started pouring through.

"The Blue Sea Dragoon!" Wink yelled.

And all the sorcerers and magi-soldiers summoned a wall of fire when a massive wave of water poured into the city. Soon, they could see Meru racing toward them.

"Fire!" She yelled, again.

An onslaught of fireballs and fire creatures, created by the sorcerers were attacking Meru.

The Blue Sea Dragoon weaved and dodged these deadly fireballs gracefully until she realized that sooner or later one would hit her. She raced towards a spot in the city out of their sight to catch a breather.

"Where did she go?" A soldier asked.

No one answered him. They too were confused to the whereabouts of the Wingly Dragoon. Suddenly they felt a chill grip their body and where met by three pillars of ice surrounding them. The leader, also a Sacred Sister, realized what was happening before her soldiers did.

"SCATTER! SCATTER!" She yelled. But it was too late. The ice pillars converged and encased her units. She looked around to see Meru standing in the handle of her hammer--summoning the spell.

"Diamond Dust!" Wink heard from the Dragoons mouth.

"NOOOO!" She screamed!

But Meru summoned a powerful energy surge that shattered the ice trapping her men. The Sacred Sister ran for cover to avoid the once-living debris from the spell.

In her quarters, Theresa shivered upon seeing the attack. She wondered how Meru could have become so vicious. Was it her Wingly heritage or was it that she blindly followed Dart's orders in the hopes of being his only love?

* * *

The First-Liners bombarded Haschel with their Magic Cannons. But he was too quick for them and they had already lost men to his "Atomic Mind" attack. Despite this, they kept firing until they managed to hit him. They watched as the Thunder Dragoon crash landed on a bar that many of her men had frequented. The men around her cheered but Sacred Sister Setie had not. She looked closely at the wrecked bar and saw glowing eyes emerge out of the darkness. Suddenly, huge bolts of lightning struck around her--vaporizing the other First-Liners scattered across the rooftops.

"FIRE ON THAT BAR!" She ordered her unit.

But they were too slow yet again! Haschel quickly dodged the onslaught of magical beams and flew high above them. He put his hand in the air and soon even more thunderbolts emerged. A massive violet dragon emerged from the sky looked about it's master's enemies.

"Do it!" Setie screamed to a subordinate.

The lieutenant signaled the remaining First-Liners to engage their Mega Cannon. Massive cannons, almost as big as the houses their rested on, emerged from two other rooftops as well as from Setie's rooftop.

"FIRE!"

In unison, the magical energy erupted out of the Mega Cannons and bombarded the Violet Dragon with so much magical energy that the creature hadn't experienced before. It howled in pain--as did Haschel---feeling his dragon's pain.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The Rouge Master screamed.

The cannons were relentless and seemingly limitless in their onslaught. They poured the magical might of Deningrad on the Thunder Dragon as punishment for attacking their fair city. Setie smiled. She could see that Haschel was weakening.

* * *

As the cold air settled around her, Wink peered from behind the crate to see Meru reveling in her victory before flying high above the city to join Dart. She cursed herself for ever being their friend and ally. But she realized that was a different time, when the humans need champions to stop Melbu Frahma. Far away in the other city of the city she could see that her Sacred Sister Setie was having more luck than she was. Wink decided to run to the palace to be by her queen's side; but no sooner did she step out of her cover, the earth beneath her began to shake violently. She tried so hard to balance herself but to no avail. The personal bunkers that so many citizens had been in became their final resting place as the bunkers were swallowed up into the ground. Homes, libraries, shops and even churches began to crumble under the massive earthquake.

"HELP ME!" A child screamed from the other side of the street.

Wink heard her and decided to rush to the young one's aid. She ran and carefully avoided the chasms opening up around her. The girl was desperately hanging on to the edge of a great crack in the earth. Wink jumped over the crack and grabbed the girl in her arms. Suddenly the crack got wider--too wide for Wink to jump. But that didn't stop her from trying. She leapt into the air and flung the child to the other side of the chasm. Wink hung on to the edge as the child slowly got up and tried to help Wink up. But that's when she saw the cause of the earthquakes---the Golden Earth Dragoon, Kongol. She saw the Giganto raise his axe and summon a spell.

"GRAND STREAM!"

A powerful wave of energy raced towards them and vaporized the child Wink had just rescued. Disheartened, Wink tried to regain her composure but the death of one so young was too much for her to mental take. She could feel her hand slipping as tears ran down her face.

"I am so sorry, my queen." She whispered before letting go and falling into the cold, dark and bottomless chasm.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yeah, I'm alive. Not dead yet. Had writers block for a while, so yeah. R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Legend of Dragoon_ or _God of War_. Everyone else, I own.

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 7**

**By:** YoNel

Setie smiled. She could see victory in her grasp as the Thunder Dragoon seemed to be near death. But all the glory she was beginning to revel in quickly turned to horror as red fiery death rained from the skies above her. It was Dart's infamous Divine Dragon Ball attack. The attack either incinerated her men or blew them to shreds. Setie hit the floor of the rooftop to get over. She could hear the screams of her men and the explosions of the attack hitting the magic cannons. When the magic cannon near her exploded, Setie was blown off the rooftop and onto the ground below. After she regain consciousness, Setie surveyed the area. She saw the most horrific sight she had ever seen. Body parts of her men scattered around her. Her first lieutenants body was ripped in half---probably from a magic cannon exploding. Then she felt a warm sensation on the right side of her body. She was bleeding--badly. As she began to die, she watched as the Dragoons raced across the sky towards the Crystal Palace.

"Soa save the Queen." Was Setie's last words before she fell to the ground.

* * *

"You all right there, old man?" Meru asked playfully.

"Eh, I had that under control." He answered after shaking off the lingering pain.

"Kongol not see it that way." The Giganto responded.

"Well to the untrained and...primitive eye that might have looked like an impending defeat but I really had a master plan up my sleeve."

"And what was that? Have Dart save you?" Meru teased.

"Well--"

"Silence!" Dart ordered. "We're almost here."

As they entered the ruined Palace, the team vaporized the queen's personal entourage and made their way to her personal chambers. Dart ripped off the door like it was nothing and found Queen Theresa sitting on her bed looking out the window.

"My only question is...why?" She asked.

"To truly save the world we must instill order---by any means ness---

"I know. I've read the piece of tut scripture you sent out to the kingdoms." She turned to look into the eyes of man who had murdered so many people---the man who attacked her kingdom and killed all her men. "I want to know the real reason why. Is it because of Shana?"

"Don't." Dart warned.

"The death of Shana effected us all. She even saved my life, Dart."

"Shut up." Dart said under his breath--trying to hold his anger.

"But she would have never approved of this. As a matter of fact, she would have despised you for the tyrant--no---for the monster you have become."

"SHUT UP!"

With a single swipe of his sword, Theresa's head lay on the ground. Dart held back his tears and turned the sadness of losing Shana into motivation. More motivation for his tyrannical campaign.

"Dart?" Meru said.

"Shana would understand. She would. She would realize that the only way to prevent people like Melbu Frahma from coming into power. That's what she wanted. To live in a world of peace and prosperity. That's all I want--to have her dream come true."

The other Dragoons looked at each other--uneasy at seeing their leader reassure himself about his mission--a mission they firmly believed in because they knew that he, and only he, could do it. Though they realized at times that their actions might be deemed horrible, they knew it was for the greater good--for the protection of all of Endiness.

"Dart? Are you okay, son?" Haschel asked his grandson.

Dart quickly gathered his composure and grabbed a spear from the wall. He proceeded to place Theresa's head on the spear and slammed the spear into the wooden floor. He turned to his other Dragoons with no evidence of his previous emotion on his face.

"Let's go," he said before flying off into the sky.

Haschel, Meru and Kongol looked at each other--taken back by Dart's act. He truly wanted to scar Miranda for her treachery. They followed their leader into the night sky, leaving the once spectacular city of Deningrad in unrecoverable ruin.

* * *

When Kratos and Miranda finally came to, they surveyed the area. What they found was circular room with torches lit around it.

"Where are we?" Kratos asked.

"I don't know." Miranda responded.

Both of them could hear the infantrymen yelling from high above the chasm.

"Are you okay?" One asked.

"We're fine. Stay up there until we can figure a way to get back up."

Kratos looked around the room and noticed something lodged into the back wall.

"What's that? Over there!"

Miranda focused her eyes and recognized the magical sword.

"The Dragon Buster!" She proclaimed.

"I'll get it out." Kratos said.

He walked closer to the wall and flung a blade at it. It wrapped around the massive sword tightly and with all his strength he began to pull at the weapon. Suddenly the room began to shake violently and Kratos quickly withdrew his blade.

"I know this was going too easily." Miranda stated.

Suddenly an enormous one-eyed rock monster emerged from the wall—with the Dragon Buster lodged into its heart. It bull-rushed Miranda and Kratos at an astonishing speed. Luckily, the two warriors dodged the attack just in the nick of time. Miranda quickly turned into a Dragoon. The monster stopped and looked at Miranda flying above him. He then looked at the Dragon Buster and then back at Miranda.

"Oh, great." Miranda said under her breath.

The creature took out sword and began swinging at Miranda. Never mind that the sword appeared small and ridiculous in its massive hands, Miranda was more concerned about dodging for her life. Realizing that Miranda needed a break, Kratos flung his Blades of Chaos into a nearby column and pulled until it fell on the creature. Now more concerned with Kratos, the creature began swinging at the Spartan.

"Kratos, get out of the way!" Miranda proclaimed.

Kratos moved and brought down another column on top of the creature. With the monster dazed, Miranda summoned a spell.

"Star Children." She yelled.

A column of beautiful light shot to the earth as Miranda flew into the air. Soon the creature was bombarded with light-based rain that seemed to come from the heavens. Then all the "rain" formed into a single column once again and bombarded the monster before dissipating. It weakened the giant creature but not enough to slow it down. Kratos rushed the creature and stabbed its foot. It howled in pain and kicked Kratos. The Spartan quickly recovered and brought down another column. Miranda was still dodging its swings and was getting a few hits here and there. But despite attacks from her 'dragoonized' bow and arrow--the creature showed no signs of stopping. It charged at Kratos again, but he dodged and quickly ran up the monster's back and kept stabbing at its neck before it grabbed the Spartan and threw him. Kratos hit the wall hard and used his shoulder to break the fall. The Spartan quickly got up and yelled at Miranda.

"Use your dragon!"

Miranda shot the monster in the face before directing her attention towards Kratos.

"It's too small in here. If I summon her, the whole cave will collapse."

Suddenly, the monster struck, but thankfully not with Dragon Buster. Miranda plummeted to the ground and Kratos leapt to catch her just in time.

"Thanks." She muttered.

Kratos barely acknowledged the gratitude and put her back on her feet. Both kept dodging the monster's assault while they were talking.

"We need to find a way to defeat this beast!" Kratos said.

"Yes, but how are we going get through its rocky exterior?"

The monster charged at them and they dodged in unison. Kratos looked at the monster and noticed something he had seen before.

"I have an idea. Continue your assault on the monster—don't give in. Just keep attacking!"

Miranda nodded and flew into the air once again. She let off a barrage of attacks. She relentlessly shot arrows at its exterior despite having little to no effect. While Miranda was attacking, Kratos climbed up a pillar and positioned himself between the wall and the column. With his legs he pushed the column downward towards the monster. As it fell, he ran up its side and jumped on top of the creature head when the column made impact. The monster tried to so hard to grab the Spartan but he was too quick for it. The Ghost of Sparta finally made his way to the monster's single eye and punched it several times before pulling at it sides. Just like at home, Kratos pulled at the eye until he had ripped it out of its socket. He quickly got off the waling beast and threw the eye onto the floor before crushing it underneath his heel. The monster screamed in pain, jerking himself around the room. It knocked over everything it could as it bled profusely from where his eyes used to be. He managed to knock down some of the last pillars and whole room began to collapse.

"I think we should leave." Miranda said.

Kratos rolled his eyes and grabbed onto Miranda as she flew up the chasm with the Dragon Buster in his hand. As they flew up, they both could hear the room collapse on the dying monster. When they reached the top, they were greeted warmly by their teammates. After a brief celebration, the entire team made their way to a teleporter on the other side of the room. The teleporter transported them past the mazes and the endless ruined structures and even out of Kadessa itself. The green orb ended up teleporting the whole team to the Wingly colony.

"We have to get back to Hoax, to formulate a plan." Miranda said as they walked down the staircase.

Suddenly four lights raced across the sky heading north. Miranda realized that they were Dragoons when her Dragoons Spirit resonated. She thought to herself why they were in Mille Seseau. Then she grew wide-eyed. Kratos noticed her shock.

"Miranda, what's wrong?"

In a faint and low voice, she muttered "Deningrad."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:** I don't own **_**Legend of Dragoon**_** or **_**God of War**_**. Everyone else, I own.**

**Kratos and the Dragoons: Chapter 8**

**By:** YoNel

As the team arrived in Deningrad, they were horrified by the bloodshed they saw before them. Even Kratos--the most brutal of Spartan warriors, cringed. Miranda was speechless as her mouth lay open at the horrid sight. Most of the population was dead---their lifeless bodies stained with dried blood. The living survivors sat on the street, either scared or driven insane by what they had witnessed.

"Soa..." Miranda muttered.

The infantrymen had already begun to help the survivors but most didn't want it, believing that this was the end--there was no point in living anymore. One traumatized survivor noticed Miranda and tackled the Sacred Sister to the ground.

"YOU DID THIS!!!" She screamed as she began punching Miranda.

Kratos grabbed the woman by the shirt and lifted her off the White Silver Dragoon, but the woman flared are arms in the air.

"YOU DID THIS! YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS! YOU USED TO BE OUR HEROES! OUR SAVIORS! BUT YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN A MONSTER---ALL OF YOU DRAGOONS ARE MONSTERS!"

He threw the woman to the ground as Miranda sat up, listening.

"You brought this upon us...you're a Sacred Sister--a person who swore to protect all of Mille Seseau from harm.." The woman said after calming down. She stood up, her eyes narrowed as she looked down on the dragoon. "But all you have done is brought death and destruction. Tut!" She spat on Miranda's face, before retreating.

Her head was lowered as Miranda stared at the cobblestone beneath her feet. Everything...it was so overwhelming that she couldn't even fabricate the words to describe it. Suddenly, she remembered:

"Queen Theresa!"

Immediately she rose from her seated position and ran as she could. _Oh Soa, please!_

The Spartan followed her through the wrecked streets and the once beautiful Crystal Palace until Miranda stopped at something that made him look away.

"Q-q-queen T-t-t-theresa..." Miranda said, barely able to get the words out. Seeing her queen's head on a spear like that made her collapse on her knees. A flood of tears ran down her cheek, but it didn't come close to conveying the pain--the hurt--she felt in her heart.

Kratos looked at the once strong woman kneel on the floor broken, and a part of him felt for her and her pain. "Miranda..."

"Please, Kratos--leave me--let me mourn in peace."

He nodded. He knew that she needed time to get over this.

* * *

They spent the next four days in Deningrad, taking part in the massive funeral ceremony. The bodies of the victims were burned and their ashes released into the wind to signify that they will always be part of Endiness.

Miranda had not spoken ever since she saw that horrific sight. She stayed alone, away from the small crowd, praying--probably repenting. She felt the Spartan's gaze upon her throughout the ceremony, but she did move. The survivors looked at her with disgust in their eyes and a few threw some rocks at her. Although most of them missed, some managed to hit her, but she took it---feeling that was little punishment for her actions.

The next day the team gathered food and supplies for the trip back to Hoax. Miranda tried to help the survivors but no one wanted her to touch them let alone help them. So, she helped gather supplies.

Kratos, in the meantime, was examining the Dragon Buster and it's sheer magnificence when he noticed Miranda finish packing. "We are heading out when we are ready. Are you coming?" He asked.

Silently, Miranda nodded.

As they walked back, Kratos took charge. Miranda was in no condition to lead. Instead, she stayed in the back--still internally mourning.

The voyage back to Hoax was uneventful. Despite having the Dragon Buster in hand, the team seemed low in morale and dispirited. Only Kratos appeared to be the lively one, which was saying much for the Spartan. When they finally arrived in Hoax, days later, Hasencia and all the soldiers came to greet them. They no doubt heard about the horror the Dragoons inflicted.

"Are you all right?" Hasencia asked Miranda.

The Sacred Sister walked away from the group with her hand over her mouth on the verge of crying. No one could feel her pain--her remorse. She felt responsible for not stopping Dart from the beginning.

* * *

That evening, a massive dinner was held in honor of the victims of the Deningrad attacks and as celebration of the retrieval of the Dragon Buster. Kratos noticed Miranda absence as he lay against the wall in the back of the hall.

"These despicable deeds will not go unpunished, my warriors." Hasencia began his oration. "The Dragoons will suffer for their crimes and Endiness will be again be ours!"

The crowd cheered.

"Long have we hid from these false gods like cowards. Now is the time to take the battle to them. Although, we have the mighty Dragon Buster in hand, it is not the sword that will ensure us victory. It will be our vengeance, our pride, and our honor that leads us to success! We are the people of Endiness and we will not see our world be plunged in the dark ages once again!"

"WE ARE ENDINESS! WE ARE ENDINESS!" The crowd chanted.

"Tell your husbands, your wives, your sons and daughters. Tell them all that tomorrow marks the end of tyranny and the rebirth of freedom! TELL THEM THAT TOMORROW WE MARCH ON THE DRAGOONS!"

The crowd erupted into a louder and more vibrant glee. Kratos remained emotionless and decided to leave the celebration. He made his way to Miranda's quarters where he found her door slightly open. He walked in to find her sitting on her bed, weeping.

"What do you want?" She asked him, wiping away her tears.

"Are you still mourning? Because tomorrow we march on the Dragoons."

She scowled. "What difference does it make? Even with the sword, we'll still lose."

"How can a weeping baby such as yourself ever had led the Sacred Sisters? The same warrior women who gladly laid their lives to protect what they loved." Kratos asked.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled. She didn't want to hear it. Any of it! She noticed a vase by her bed and she threw it at him..

The Spartan easily dodged it and rolled his eyes as Miranda began weeping again. He sighed and decided to take an approach he didn't take often. Compassion.

"What's the point? We cannot defeat the Dragoons." Miranda said softly.

The Spartan sat next to her. "We can. Though victory appears firmly in their grasp, we cannot falter. We have the power to put an end to their meaningless lives and prevent your world's torment any longer."

"It's a pointless battle, Kratos. Dart...will still win," she said between sobs.

"Then are we to accept the alternative? If we do nothing, Dart and his allies will not rest until Endiness is nothing but a wasteland filled with corpses of those who fought for freedom. We can and we _will_ win!"

Miranda stared at the man who sat next to her. How could he be so zealous? "How can you have so much faith that we can win?"

"Battle is in my blood," he responded, as if stating an obvious fact. "Even when it's beyond my sight, I always believe I can be victorious. But I am not the only one. Hasencia believes too. The warriors believe. Even our allies from the far reaches of this world believe that we can be successful in our campaign."

Miranda bowed her head, still not completely convinced. But Kratos gently grabbed her head and lifted it.

"And if they believe and I believe--so should you."

She looked into his eyes and seen a side of him she hadn't before.

"I see now why you were such a good general in your world." Miranda smiled.

"I've begun to realize our worlds are not that much different." He smiled back.

After several minutes of silence, Kratos finally got up and made his way for the door.

"Kratos," Miranda said softly, "Thank you."

He nodded. "Prepare yourself, Sacred Sister. Tomorrow the end begins for the Dragoons."

The Spartan and left the household--ready for the following day. The day the Dragoons Died.

* * *

**Author's Note**: An update after what?-four months of nothing. Anyway, R&R and I'll try to update when I can.


End file.
